It Was Sirius's Fault
by Fighting4Writing
Summary: "It was Sirius's fault": The first words Remus says when he finds himself in an alternate dimension thanks to an idea from Sirius and a potion. How will the four marauders manage when they realize that in this dimension, there are only three?
1. Arriving

"It was Sirius' fault."

Those words were automatic, said so many times they were engraved in his brain, and were the automatic response to seeing Professor McGonagall glare down at him. He heard Sirius grumble underneath him, and James let loose a muffled snicker. Remus Lupin, age 14, pushed himself off of his friends and shakily got to his feet. His head ached from the full moon a couple days ago, but it wasn't as bad as it had been yesterday. Remus glanced around the great hall, which was currently empty besides him, his friends and McGonagall. Why was he here again? How did he and his friends end up in a giant pile? Spots of red danced before his eyes as he tried to remember.

"It is not my fault!" Sirius exclaimed, as he finally managed to push Peter off of him, who fell to the floor with a grunt.

"Everything's your fault. Well, except for the 50% that is James's fault." Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Mr. Lupin, can you please explain to me how you got here?" McGonagall asked slowly, looking at James and Sirius with a wary look on her face. Also, Remus could've sworn she was wearing a dark blue cloak earlier today instead of the emerald green one she was wearing now. Strange.

"I….can't quite remember." Remus admitted.

"I do!" exclaimed Sirius, still on the floor, lying on top of James. McGonagall frowned at him.

"So, Mr. Black, why don't you stand up and tell me?"

"Thanks but no thanks, Minnie, I'm perfectly comfortable here." He responded cheekily. James laughed, and seeing him do so Peter did as well, though a bit louder than necessary. Professor McGonagall's frown deepened.

"Would you like me to take five points from Gryffindor for disrespect, Mr. Black?"

"Nah, not really." Sirius said, not moving a muscle to try and stand up. McGonagall's eyes flashed angrily. Sensing danger, James decided it was time to act.

"Get up! Geez, when did you become so fat?" James said, trying without success to push Sirius off of him. Sirius grumbled and crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto James's head. James yelped, and then with one final shove he pushed Sirius off of him. James stood up and faced Professor McGonagall, and a quietly snickering Sirius followed suit.

"Explain." Ordered McGonagall, her lips set in a thin white line.

"Well, you see, I was just serving detention with good old Sluggy, same as usual," Said Sirius.

"By 'Sluggy' I assume you mean Professor Slughorn."

"Yeah, yeah" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, I was innocently serving my detention, not complaining at all (Remus snorted) when Sluggy-sorry, Professor Slughorn had to go investigate some screaming down the hall."

"Not a planned distraction," Added Peter eagerly.

"Right. And then I sort of got bored, and one thing led to the next and I was looking through his stuff. Well, I found this really cool book about alternate dimensions." McGonagall raised one eyebrow, clearly surprised. Slowly these memories came flooding back to Remus. Sirius's excited face, the potion making….everything.

"Of course I had to try it. It took a week or two to make, and then we were ready to try it." This memory came rushing back to Remus, painfully vivid; All of them huddling over a cauldron in the abandoned bathroom; The purple smoke rising, obscuring their vision and making their eyes burn; Peter tripping and knocking over the cauldron; The black, viscous liquid spilling over the yellowing tiles, the sensation of falling…..

Then landing here. Oh Merlin.

"So I made the potion the book told about. Then we got it all over our feet thanks to Peter (Peter blushed profusely, shrinking downward.) and we ended up here. "

McGonagall opened and closed her mouth, mouthing the words '_alternate dimension?'_ over and over. At that moment James Potter walked in the door.

Well, it looked exactly like James Potter. Same mussed up, black hair, the same height, same face, same hazel eyes and same arrogant smirk. _But it can't be James,_ thought Remus,_ because James is standing right next to me._ Remus looked over at James, who was staring at James with an open mouth. James was staring right back at James. _This is too confusing for a Monday,_ thought Remus tiredly.It was Peter who broke the silence first.

"D-d-did it work?" Peter asked, so nervous his voice came out more like a squeak.

"Of course it did! Unless James has a twin wandering around the castle he didn't tell us about." Sirius said, nudging James out of his stupor. James approached his other self. (Does that make sense? Remus didn't think it did, be he didn't know how else to phrase it.)

"Hi. I'm James Potter. And you must be James Potter. Nice to meet you, myself!" James said, his hand extended. The other James took original James's hand in his own, slightly cautious and confused but not wanting to look scared, and shook vigorously.

"Pleasure to meet you, James Potter!" They both laughed. Peter laughed along as well, trying to seem as if he was in on the joke, do he didn't really see what was so funny.

"Stay here, uh, Mr. Potters. I'll go fetch Dumbledore." McGonagall said, then quieter she muttered, "Alternate dimensions! Merlin, dimension traveling at their age is extremely dangerous…" McGonagall strode out of the room, her emerald robes billowing.

"Wow, I just came here to get a book I left, but this is way more exciting." The other James laughed. "How did you travel through dimensions anyway?"

"Long story." James told James, and James rolled his eyes.  
>"Well, it's not like I'm going to go to History of Magic so we've got time." James told James.<p>

(Remus was honestly getting confused. He decided to call the James from his universe James, and the James from the other universe Potter, at least in his head.)

"How did you know we traveled from another dimension, anyway?"

"You know, at first I thought it was someone with Polyjuice Potion, (because who wouldn't want to be as good-looking as me?) But then I heard McGonagall muttering something about alternate dimensions."

"Good ears." Nodded James appreciatively, "So, here's how the story goes. Sirius over here found a book that outlined a potion that could take you to alternate dimensions."

Sirius grinned at Potter, and Potter grinned back.

"So, I managed to steal all of the ingredients from Slughorn's stores, and Remus helped us mix it."

"Unfortunately," Remus muttered, still subconsciously wincing from the bruises hidden underneath his robes. Potter looked at Remus, surprised, as if noticing that he was there for the first time.

"Don't be so gloomy, you're enjoying this, I can see it in your eyes." Said Sirius, and Remus just looked at him with steady, annoyed eyes.

"Or maybe not." Sirius said, and James and Peter laughed. Seeing Potter with a confused, irritated look on his face, James turned around to talk to him again.

"What's a matter, oh handsome one?" asked James.

"I'll explain later." Potter said. Then, with a mischievous smile, he added "Oh hideous one." (Remus snickered slightly at this. Potter completely missed the point that he and James looked exactly the same.)

"You asked for it," said a smiling James before lunging for Potter's throat.

When Professor McGonagall came back, Dumbledore following at her heels, she saw James and Potter wrestling and laughing, Sirius cheering them on, Peter squeaking and inching away from the ruckus, and Remus lounging against the wall, an amused but thoughtful look on his face.

"Separate yourselves!" shouted McGonagall. Potter and James reluctantly stood up, black hair still messed up from the fight and fighting back chuckles.

"Ah, what an interesting yet precarious situation we have found ourselves in." Dumbledore said, surveying the dimension-travelers with twinkling eyes, "Why don't we all go up to my office to discuss…"

A/N- Constructive criticism welcome! Destructive criticism will be ignored! Please Review!


	2. Dumbledore's Office

Sirius grumbled. James sighed, Potter rolled his eyes. Peter fidgeted. Sirius grumbled again. Remus glanced at the clock. Potter glanced at Remus. James glanced at Potter. Sirius grumbled again. Finally, McGonagall came back from Dumbledore's office.

"Alright. I'll be enrolling you in the classes for the short time that you are here, and I must go announce to the other students what has happened. I know it may be difficult, but can you four please not blow up the castle when you are unsupervised?" She directed the last question towards Sirius, James, Potter and Peter. The four from the original dimension didn't miss the fact that McGonagall did not believe Remus to be part of "the super elite potentially destructive club" (As Sirius once called it.) McGonagall turned to Remus.

"Remus, you may go in first. The headmaster will be speaking to you one at a time." When Remus nodded, McGonagall marched away. Remus entered through the still open gargoyle, and Potter listened intently to his retreating footsteps, and once he could no longer hear them….

"That sucks." Potter said, lounging further down onto the chair that McGonagall had conjured for him. Peter's brow furrowed in confusion, and James turned to look at him.

"What? I think it's fun to be traveling across dimensions. It's a whole lot funner (James smirked, glad he could finally use that 'word' since Remus was out of hearing distance.) than attending classes. Do you not want us here?" James asked, a look of mock hurt on his face. Peter laughed eagerly, and Potter snorted.

"No, it sucks that you couldn't brew the potion on your own and you had to ask his help and bring him along." Not noticing their shocked faces, Potter continued, "Though how you got him to do it I don't know. He usually follows the rules. Did you bribe him? Blackmail him?" Potter asked lightly, and Sirius scowled.

"I guess Remus is more lenient with rule-breaking in our dimension than yours." James suggested.

"We would've brought him along anyway, even if we didn't need his help." Sirius added, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Potter made a face.

"Why?" he asked. Peter bit his lip, unsure. He didn't know which James to side with; James he knew better and agreed with more, but Potter knew this dimension better and was probably more powerful and influential here. Finally Peter decided that there was strength in numbers and sided with Sirius and James.

"He's our friend," Said Peter defensively. Potter rolled his eyes.

"Huh. Why, though? He's always _studying_ and _reading _and stuff. And his family gets sick all the time, always having to leave. Why does he get special privileges to go visit his family as soon as someone's got the flu? Then he comes back all tired and with new scars; maybe he's not actually visiting family, maybe he's getting into fights or something. Maybe he's part of a gang. Nah, never mind, he reads too much."

During Potter's entire ramble, James and Sirius got really tense. Sirius was eying Potter's throat, as if he would lunge if he says one more thing about Remus. James was the most protective about Remus once they found out he was a werewolf, but Sirius was the one most likely to start a fight is someone said something bad about him. Peter was inching back slowly, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire if a fight did break out.

"Remus is allowed to have his own hobbies, like reading," James said slowly, "And it only seems fair that he should go back to see his family if they need him." Potter stared at him as if he had grown another head.

"Okay, okay, but don't expect me to start being best friends with him. I still think he's too annoying and bookish." Potter turned away as if that was final, suddenly interested in the wall as far away as James as possible. James couldn't help but wonder if he could've turned out like that if the circumstances of their meeting were just a _little _different. It sort of scared him that he may have never figured out Remus's secret, never been there to comfort him, never to goad him into crazy pranks, never to beg for the answers to the homework, and never have discovered his more mischievous, marauder side. The marauders might have been three, and that scared him more than when he woke up McGonagall in 3:30 in the morning by accidentally dropping a very loud, very bright firework. (That's saying something because McGonagall can be very scary when she's angry.)

In Dumbledore's office, Remus was glancing over the new schedule in his hands.

"I enrolled you in all of the classes that the Remus in this universe is taking," Dumbledore said, staring at Remus levelly through half moon spectacles. Remus nodded. There was a short, tense pause.

"And….your condition….." Dumbledore said quietly, eying Remus with deep blue eyes. Remus glanced up and found the meaning behind those words; Dumbledore was wondering if Remus was a werewolf in his universe as well. His stomach clenched uncomfortably. _If only I wasn't,_ he thought.

"When is the next full moon?" Remus asked quietly, looking back down at his schedule to avoid looking at those intense blue eyes.

"Six days from now, "Dumbledore said, suspicions confirmed, "You may leave and tell another to come in." Remus nodded and left.

Sighing, Dumbledore closed his eyes and wondered why Remus seemed so much healthier and happier if he was also a werewolf in the universe he came from. _What is different?_

Remus exited the office and immediately picked up on the tension in the air. Potter was glaring at the wall and James and Sirius were talking in hushed tones, but immediately stopped when Remus walked out of the office.

"Someone else can go in now," he said tiredly, and then walked off towards his dorm, where, according to Dumbledore, a new bed and a suitcase full of clothes would be waiting for him.


	3. The Other Lupin and Remedial Potions

A/N- The James, Sirius, Remus and Peter from the other universe will all be called by their last names

Lupin, not for the first time that week, had a blinding headache. Not literally blinding, but if he concentrated on it black spots danced across his vision and his eyes watered. So Lupin was trying his best _not _to concentrate on it. He tried reading his book, then writing a letter to home, and then going to sleep. Nothing worked, and the headache was worsening. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. The headache was partially created by the approaching full moon and the stress of homework, but the largest contributing factor was the note that now currently rested on his bedside table. Unable to think of anytting else to do to distract himself from his headache, Lupin picked it up and read it again.

_Dear Pupil,_

_An event of the most unusual and phenomenal nature has occurred. Four students have been transported here from an alternate universe. The students are as follows; James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin. The Hogwarts staff are currently working on a potion to send them back to their original dimension. We thank you for your understanding, and if there are any questions please contact your head of house. _

_Headmaster Albus Dumbledore._

When Lupin first received the note he had thought it was a practical joke. Perhaps from that rowdy bunch of Hufflepuff seventh years, or those prankster Gryffindors he shared a dorm with. But after running a couple spells and finding that Dumbledore's signature was not forged, he read it again. And again. When he read it the fourth time he managed to get past his shock of alternate universes and realized that his name was among the short list of students transported here. _How? Why?_ He wondered, but no immediate answers surfaced. The only logical explanation was that James, Sirius and Peter were making it for fun and he was somehow at the wrong place at the wrong time. He would have never been included in a project such as this. He and the other three Gryffindor fourth years were far from friends. Finally he decided upon the most reasonable course of action; wait. Eying the new bed and the suitcase of clothes, Lupin deduced that his other self would be arriving shortly, and then he would have plenty of time for questions. He couldn't resist the bubbling feeling of happiness coursing through his veins. He would have a friend, if only for a short period of time. He would have someone to talk to, someone who would walk with him to classes, someone who he could complain about his pain. Already that thought made his headache lessen slightly. Lupin had not made any friends when he arrived at Hogwarts. James, Sirius and Peter quickly became fast friends, but they wanted nothing to do with him. _Nor I them,_ Lupin thought bitterly, but he quickly shook his head. _No, _he thought, _I can't think like that. It's better if we aren't friends. If were closer they might begin questioning where I go every month, and that would lead to them discovering what I am. I'm lucky even to be here, I should appreciate that._ Even though Lupin found these thoughts perfectly reasonable, they did not lessen the hollow ache of loneliness in the pit of his stomach. But Lupin had grown so used to it he barely even noticed it anymore. Abruptly his headache flared, and Lupin put his head in his hands in pain. He stayed like that for a few moments, before flopping himself down on his bed. _Why wasn't his other self here yet?_ He wondered, and as if timed perfectly Remus walked into the room.

Lupin shot up into a sitting position immediately. Remus shut the door quietly behind him and looked at his other self. The first two words that came to mind were _unhappy_ and _unhealthy. _Lupin's face was pale and his mouth pulled down into a subtle frown. His eyes practically gave off vibrations of unhappiness and exhaustion. His hair was tangled and stringy, he was slightly hunched over and the scars covering his face seemed to pop out in contrast to his pasty skin. While Remus was observing Lupin, Lupin was doing the same.

Remus looked healthier, and his skin was slightly tanner from days lounging in the sun. His eyes were tired but unlike Lupin's, they also looked happy. He was standing straighter and unless you knew where to look you could barely notice his scars.

"Um, hi." Remus said awkwardly. Spotting his new bed he went and sat down on it.

"Hi." Lupin said, and there was a short silence.

"So I'm you," Remus stated.

"And you're me," Lupin said, and then cringed inwardly. _Way to restate what he just said._

"Yeah…" Remus trailed off, unsure of what to say. Lupin thought frantically of all the questions that had recently been bouncing around in his brain, but he couldn't remember a single one. There was another short period of silence.

"Want to play chess?" Remus asked suddenly, and Lupin quickly accepted the offer, glad to be doing something.

**~At McGonnagol's Office~**

Professor McGonnogal swished her wand and the door locked. Sighing, she sat back down at her desk and flicked her wand so all the hairs that had escaped out of her bun went back to their place. Today was frantic. Gryffindor students were coming in by the dozens, all holding notes in their hands and questions on the tip of their tongues. She had answered every single question that had been fired her way, from well-thought out to plain stupid. (Though of course she didn't say that to the students' faces.) Now she just needed time to relax. While she answered all of her student's questions to the best of her ability, she still had some questions of her own. _What potion brought them here? Why did Horace have a book about alternate universes? Merlin, why those four students? Why?_

She would have to go and speak to Albus later. For now, she would just rest.

**~At Dumbledore's Office~**

Black shifted from foot to foot, eyes darting around excitedly. He had just received his note, and was eager to meet his other self. Upon Sirius's request, Black would meet him right outside Dumbledore's Office. Right now he was chatting with Potter, while James was talking with Peter. Potter was saying something about Remus Lupin, but Black wasn't really paying attention. He was surprised at first to hear that Remus was here as well, but it did get a little boring listening to Potter rant on and on about him. Finally Black heard footsteps, and out came Sirius…..looking distinctly disgruntled.

"I cannot believe this!" Sirius exclaimed, brandishing a piece of paper. Upon closer look Black realized that it was Sirius's schedule.

"What?"Black asked, and James and Peter stopped talking to look up.

"Remedial Potions!" Sirius shouted, and James stifled a laugh. Black glared at him.

"So what?"

"Why on earth are you, well I guess it's I…or is it we? Whatever! Why are you failing potions?" Sirius looked annoyed. He hated potions enough as it was, and now he had to do even more!

"Relax. I use that time for planning pranks." Black smirked, and Potter snorted. Sirius stared.

"I'm all for pranks, but I don't want to have to sit through potions _twice_ because you can't find time outside of your classes to plan!"

"Whatever," Black said, rolling his eyes. It was clear he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Sirius sighed; he felt like such a killjoy, but he didn't want to apologize.

"C'mon, let's go to the dorm." Sirius said, and marched off. Black followed, scowling. As James walked up to Dumbledore's office, he began thinking that maybe this universe wasn't going to be as fun as they thought.


End file.
